Bulls Squeeze Ugly Double-Overtime Win Out of Knicks
If I wanted to convince you what the general public thought of Monday’s Bulls game against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, I’d list a whole bunch of tweets. But that would take forever, and I doubt you want to spend all your time here reading tweets. Instead, I’ll show one I sent shortly after the Bulls’ 116–115 double-overtime win concluded. As you can see, a lot of people agreed with me.
Indeed, this was a terrible game from the opening tip. Neither team looked like it belonged to the NBA with slow ball movement, dumb turnovers, missed rebounds, frequent fouls and poor shot selection. During both overtimes, they also seemed to forget that you have to stay in bounds when you have the ball. Heck, if Emmanuel Mudiay hadn’t fouled Zach LaVine with 0.2 seconds left in the second OT, thus allowing LaVine to make the winning free throw, they might still be playing.
Fortunately for the Bulls, the free throw was a culmination for a big night from LaVine. He scored a career-high 41 points and looked every bit like a $78 million player. He aggressively drove to the basket and drew fouls, resulting 14 free-throw attempts, of which he made 11. Most importantly, he came through when the Bulls really needed him, and that’s very important for a shorthanded team.
Antonio Blakeney once again provided a spark off the bench with 17 points. Jabari Parker, whom I should remind you was signed for his offense more than anything, scored 15. Wendell Carter Jr. gave another complete performance with his second consecutive double-double (11 points, 13 rebounds) and third of his career. He might have had a higher line had he not fouled out in regulation.
One might say a win is a win, but in this case, it only meant the Bulls were slightly less lousy than the Knicks. Both teams are looking far up at most of the NBA, and it’s going to be some time before they dig themselves out, if at all. The term “dumpster fire” frequently was thrown around Twitter throughout the game, and anyone who had the misfortune of paying admission for this game should have felt ripped off for the lousy basketball they had to witness. Madison Square Garden has hosted many talented athletes and entertainers over the years, but no one who played Monday comes even close to the top tier of people who have performed in that building.
It’s a tired point by now, but the Bulls need to learn how to play well and play smart with what they have. Whether they’re missing one key player or four, that point never will change. Again, they only squeaked by in this one because they were playing the putrid Knicks. Most other opponents won’t be so forgiving.
We learned nothing about the Bulls from this game that we didn’t already know. We know LaVine will get his points, we know the defense won’t be great, and we know that at least until they get healthier, they won’t be able to close easily. All of it was on display here, and it translated into a contest basketball minds will work hard to scrub from their brains.
The Bulls will get their next chance to play a prettier brand of basketball Wednesday, when they conclude their two-game road trip against Anthony Davis and the New Orleans Pelicans. Maybe while down there, the core pieces of this rebuild can court the South Side native to follow Parker’s path and return home in a couple of years. At that time, the Bulls hopefully will look like a team that can’t be described as worse than decent. Hey, looking toward the next decade is better than dwelling on a 3–8 start in the present.
